Nob Hill Residents Lobby SF Supervisor For Moratorium On Bars
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Residents of lower Nob Hill, frustrated with the raucous bar scene that has cropped up near Polk Street, have been pushing San Francisco officials for a moratorium on bars in the neighborhood.
Supervisor David Chiu has proposed banning new bars on a six block stretch of Polk between O'Farrell and California streets, saying the area had reached a saturation point with at least 45 bars.
"I'm not talking about decreasing the number of liquor licenses, but we are talking about not increasing the number of establishments selling booze," he said.
The city's Small Business Commission recently voted to limit the concentration of bars by keeping a new one at least 150 feet from an existing one.
Commissioner Stephen Adams said the area was just starting to come back to life as people started going to bars, restaurants and clubs again.
For Nob Hill resident Linda Chapman, Chiu's proposal would not go far enough. She said there should be fewer drinking establishments on that part of Polk Street.
"It's turned into a scene of drunken revelry," she said. "I would like to see it back the way it was in the 70s, 80s, maybe the 90s."
Chiu is expected to hold a public hearing on the matter next month.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
